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Crankstart

On 28 February 2019 the Trustees of The Booker Prize Foundation announced that Crankstart, the charitable foundation of Sir Michael Moritz KBE and his wife, Harriet Heyman, is the new supporter of The Booker Prize and The International Booker Prize.

Crankstart committed to an initial five-year exclusive funding term with an option to renew for a further five years. The new arrangement began on 1 June 2019 which marked the conclusion of 18 years of successful and generous sponsorship by Man Group. The prize is now once again known as The Booker Prize, while the prize for literature in translation is now called The International Booker Prize.

Crankstart was established by Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman in 2000 to support ‘the forgotten, the dispossessed, the unfortunate, the oppressed and causes where some help makes all the difference’. It has organised or supported scholarship funds for students from low-income households at the University of Oxford, the University of Chicago, the Juilliard School and many California Community Colleges and schools. Recipients of some of Crankstart’s more significant recent gifts include the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and initiatives for the homeless in the San Francisco Bay Area. Crankstart’s activities also include a wide range of grants for arts and journalistic organisations which depend on philanthropic support.

What is Man Group?

Man Group was the sponsor of The (Man) Booker Prize from 2002 and The Man Booker International Prize sponsor since its inception in 2005 until 1 June 2019. Further information on Man Group can be found at www.man.com

What is the Booker Prize Foundation?

The Booker Prize Foundation is a registered charity (no 1090049) established in 2002. It is responsible for the award of The Booker Prize for Fiction and The International Booker Prize.

What is eligible for the prize?

The Booker Prize awards any novel originally written in English and published in the UK and Ireland in the year of the prize, regardless of the nationality of their author. The novel must be an original work in English (not a translation) and published by a registered UK or Irish imprint; self-published novels are not eligible. For more details on submitting to the prize, please visit our submissions page.

The International Booker Prize is awarded annually for a single work of fiction, translated into English and published in the UK by a registered imprint. Both novels and collections of short stories are eligible. Previously, the prize was awarded every two years for a writer's entire body of work. For more details on submitting to the prize please visit our submissions page.

How much is the prize worth to the winning author?

The Booker Prize is worth £50,000 to the winner. It is awarded to the author of the best, eligible full-length novel in the opinion of the judges. The prize may not be divided or withheld. In addition, £2,500 is awarded to each of the six shortlisted authors.

Underlining the importance of translation, The International Booker Prize £50,000 prize is divided equally between the author and the translator. There is also a prize of £2,000 for each of the shortlisted titles divided equally between the author and the translator.

How are the judges chosen?

The Booker Prize Foundation Advisory Committee, which represents all sides of the book world, recommends possible judges and also advises on any changes to the rules. The judges are appointed by Gaby Wood, the Literary Director of The Booker Prize Foundation.

What difference does winning the prize make?

Winning The Booker Prize is the ultimate accolade for many writers. As 1996 winner Graham Swift commented, ‘Prizes don't make writers and writers don't write to win prizes, but in the near-glut of literary awards now on offer, the Booker remains special. It's the one which, if we're completely honest, we most covet.’ 2015 Man Booker winner Richard Flanagan described the experience as ‘the most extraordinary honour… you are fully aware that you are no longer standing in the same place you had been previously as a writer.’

Every year, the prize winner is guaranteed international recognition and a huge increase in sales, firstly in hardback and then in paperback. The announcement of the winner is covered by television, radio and press worldwide and many winning books have been adapted for film and TV.

The International Booker Prize is gaining in reputation and impact, with a growing reach worldwide.

What do the winners spend their prize money on?

This is the question which, inevitably, is asked of every Booker Prize winner. There have been many different answers over the three decades of the prize. A.S.Byatt, winning with Possession in 1990, announced that she now had the money she needed to build her ‘longed-for swimming pool in Provence.’ Howard Jacobson, winning with The Finkler Question in 2010, bought his wife a handbag.

What is Booker?

Booker is the UK's leading food wholesaler with 198 business centres and a national delivery network. It serves over 441,000 catering customers, 94,000 independent retailers and 641,000 small businesses.

Downloadable booklet

Download our booklet to find out more about the 50-year history of both prizes.